Magical Beauty
by biological.experiment
Summary: A mesh-up of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent with a few twists and turns of my own. Instead of cursing Aurora to sleep her days away until true love's kiss saves the day, Maleficent bestows Aurora with a gift.
1. Chapter 1

Magical Beauty

Once upon a time, in a land, far, far away, there lived a king and his fair queen who longed for an heir to call their own. Over the years, their wish was denied, until one day a daughter was born! Overcome in delight, they blessed the newborn princess with the name Aurora, for her very presence filled their lives with sunshine, like the newly arisen sun. Wanting to share their joy with the world, the king and queen declared a holiday in honor of their daughter. News of the celebration spread quickly throughout the land, alerting all of high and low estate was welcomed to pay homage to the infant princess.

In turn, the town set about in preparation. Caterers were brought in from far and wide to create a feast of rare and exotic delights, while jesters, mummers, minstrels, troubadours, strolling players, and jugglers set about with the entertainment. Lured in by the sound of music and laughter, town folk and royals alike aligned the paved streets to join in on the festivities that took place in the town square and at the castle. The joyful noise rose to an all new high as knights from various countries maneuvered about on their gallant steeds in preparation for the grand tournaments. From shows of bravery to skill, the crowds roared in delight as the knights demonstrated their dedication to the crown and their new princess as they participated in fencing, wrestling, jousting and more.

It wasn't until the daylight waned and the evening settled about the land, that those of the highest honor pulled away from the celebrations to settle in the great hall. It was finally time to set their eyes upon the newborn princess. Two amongst those honored guests were the good friends of the king and queen; their royal highnesses, King Hurbert and his son, Prince Philip. Friends since childhood, King Stephan and King Hurbert had dreamt of the day when they would be able to unite their two kingdoms. And thus today they would finally announce to the world that Philip and Aurora would be betrothed.

Unaware of his father's plans, Prince Philip brought his gift solemnly up to King Stephan and his beautiful wife before he was encouraged by his father to greet his future bride. As the young boy walked up to the edge of the cradle, fine brows wrinkled in distaste. Although he had seen babes before, Philip had no interest in the tiny button nose or the clear blue eyes that stared curiously back up at him. However, as he felt a gentle hand rest about his shoulders, Philip put on a pleasant smile for the adults around him.

To Philip's delight, his obligated required greeting was cut short as the trumpets suddenly flared to life once again. Taking the opportunity, Prince Philip slipped back to his father's side as a strong voice echoed throughout the hall. Glancing up as the royal announce introduced three guests that were long awaited with the royal court, Philip caught sight of a faint light as it cut through the rafters above. Caught in awe, the young prince stared on with the rest of the crowd, only to watch the light shined gradually brighter before solidifying into the form of three fairies.

"The most honored and exalted excellences, the three good fairies. Mistress Flora," the royal announcer proclaimed as a fairy in red and gold landed in the forefront. "Mistress Fauna," the voice called out as a fairy in green landed second. "And Mistress Merryweather," he cried again, his voice ringing clear and bold as a fairy in vibrant and soft blues took her place beside the other two.

The trio barely had touched the floor before rushing to the baby's side in a clamor of glee.

"Oh, the little darling!"

"Precious!"

"Such a cute nose!"

Cooing over Aurora, the good fairies forgot their manners for only a moment before turning to give a quick curtsey to the monarchs. Had these three not been gifted and willing to bestow their daughter with gifts that parents would love for their children to have or would have for themselves in their lives at one point or another, the king would have been furious with their lack of respect. However, these three sisters would come to give some of the most useful gifts any baby could be given, and thus the king simply dipped his head in a returned greeting.

Taking it upon herself to be the trio's unofficial leader, Flora verbally greeted the monarchs first.

"Each of us the child may bless with a single gift. No more, no less," Flora told the king and queen.

Despite being rather squat compared to the humans around her, Flora was more of the large set for a fairy, with fair skin, sharp brown eyes, and grey hair that was pulled back into an elegant bun that sat beneath a red pointed hat. A gold sash wrapped about the hat to tuck under a plump chin, matching the gold on her gown. Similarly, the red on her gown complimented the crimson cloak and her red, transparent wings.

Turning about after making her announcement, Flora leaned over the edge of the cradle. Raising her gold wand, Flora waved it about as she began to speak, "little princess, my gift shall be the gift of beauty. One gift, beauty rare; full of sunshine in her hair. Lips that shame the red, red rose; she'll walk with springtime, wherever she goes." The magic shone a pale red and went into the cradle as the blessing took hold on Aurora.

Once complete, Flora floated back to allow Fauna to take her place. Also of the larger set for a fairy, Fauna had kind brown eyes, set into an angular face, fair skin, and brown-grey hair tucked into a quaint little bun. Similar to Flora, Fauna's hat covered her hair with a sash to wrap about and tuck beneath her pointed chin. However, in contrast to the oldest fairy's attire of lively reds and golds, Fauna was adorned in warm greens. With a hat of deep green and a gown to match, Fauna's shawl contrasted with a softer hue that blended well with her green tinted wings, which fluttered happily as Fauna raised her wand in turn.

"Tiny princess, my gift shall be the gift of song. One gift, the gift of song; melody her whole life long. The nightingale's her troubadour; bringing her sweet serenade to her door." Waving her wand as the blessing was spoken, a pale green light encased the entranced babe. Stepping down after finishing the spell, Fauna joined Flora off to the side.

Last, but not least, Merryweather, in a hat of a vibrant blue and a cloak to match, stepped up to give her blessing. Shorter than her sisters, Merryweather struggled for a moment to see over the tall edge of the cradle before remembering that she had ability to fly. Fluttering her blue, transparent wings, the fair skinned and heavier set fairy hovered above the princess. Waving her gold wand in one hand, Merryweather brushed back black strands of hair from her blue eyes, eyes that complimented the soft shades of blue in her gown, as she decided on her gift.

Finally selecting the third and final gift to give to the princess, Merryweather began to recite her blessing, "sweet princess, my gift shall be the gift of grace. One gift, the gift of grace; never will her foot displace. Elegant, poised, and benevolent; her step will always be light and jubilant." As a dusting of blue shimmered about the girl, Merryweather smiled happily, only to startle as a gust of wind cut through the great hall when the large oak doors flew open on their own accord.

Deafened by the sound of a thunder clap and blinded by a bright flash of light, the crowd shielded their eyes from the lightening while simultaneously attempted to protect their ears from the harsh ringing. As the banners fluttered furiously in the rafters above, those standing about sacrificed the protection of their already damaged senses as they clutched at their looser garments in a frugal attempt to maintain some of their dignity.

As the air about them settled down, so did the scatter of screams, which slowly faded into startled gasps only to quickly turn into frantic, hushed whispering. It was then that those at the dais were finally able to hear the audible click of a scepter, as it repeatedly connected with the stone floor, and the soft footfalls that moved in time.

Pushing back in fear, the mass of people parted ways, afraid to inhibit the tall figure from approaching the thrones. Everyone present had heard the stories of the woman cloaked in black, with the horns of the devil and the heart of stone, and although no one had the gals to speak their thoughts to the woman, everyone was in unison over the same idea: the witch did not belong in such a joyous gathering.

Everyone that is, besides three.

"Why, it's Maleficent!" Flora hissed out loud.

"What does she want here?" Merryweather fumed.

"Shhh!" Fauna scolded her sisters with an urgent tone.

Even though the humans held their tongues, Maleficent's sharp hearing caught the tale sign of the disgruntled whispering. Locating the owner of the voices caused her crimson lips to quirk rather sinisterly at one corner, and before another word could be spoken in regards to the woman's unexpected presence, a sultry voice broke the silence.

"Well, well. What a glittering assemblage, King Stefan. Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and-" her smirk cracked into a smile as a harsh laugh ripped past her parted lips while Maleficent eyed the three trembling fairies beside the cradle. "How quaint. Even the rabble. I feel quite distressed at arriving so late to such a…joyous occasion."

Bristling at the comment, Merryweather's fist clutched about her wand. However, before she could make a move, she felt a tug on the back of her dress by Flora as Fauna restrained her arm. However, before she could be silenced as well, Merryweather's quick temper shone through.

"You aren't wanted!" Merryweather spat.

"Not wa…? Oh, dear. What an awkward situation. I hope that comment is merely due to some oversight. Perhaps you were simply not informed, for I was very much indeed invited. Isn't that so, Stepan?"

The three fairies looked at each other in shock as the crowd glanced at the king. Hesitantly, Stefan gave a small, curt nod in acknowledgement of the statement.

"If I am not wanted, then I'd best be on my way," Maleficent pushed as the king remained silent, her fingers curling over the glowing sphere on her scepter.

"No, please stay," Queen Leah finally spoke, breaking free of her husband's protective grasp on her waist to move forward. "We do not mean to offend you, your excellency."

"I am not offended, your majesty," Maleficent replied. "And to show I bear no ill will, I, too, shall bestow a gift on the child."

Watching as the corner of Stefan's jaw clinched at her remark, Maleficent moved towards the crib. However, before she could move more than a couple of steps, the looks of dread on the three good fairies' faces turned to stone as they moved to stand protectively in front of the cradle.

"She does not want your gift!"

"Stay away from the princess!"

"Yes, stay away!"

The three declared in synch. They knew only too well of Maleficent's mischievous acts over the centuries and did not trust her now with something so precious and dear.

Growing irritated by the meddlesome remarks, Maleficent gave a light flick of her wrist, causing the three fairies to tumble across the dais and crash into a suit of armor behind the curtains. Returning her attention back to the horrified monarchs, Maleficent tilted her head just faintly before speaking again.

"If I am not wanted, I shall go," Maleficent remarked, the amusement stripped from her tone as her ire began to shine through. "Do you still desire your precious dear to be blessed with a gift more powerful than what those three whelps can conjure together?" Maleficent demanded a final time.

Still unable to speak, King Stefan merely nodded his consent a second time only to regret it the moment his head came to a halt. Upon his agreement, Maleficent raised her arms high in the air. Her cloak, flaring up into the shape of gigantic wings, lashed out as the base of her scepter was brought clashing to the stone floor below.

"Listen well, all of you! The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her." Maleficent announced to the audience around her before approaching Aurora's crib slowly.

"That's a lovely gift," Queen Leah remarked, hoping that was all to Maleficent's offer.

Ignoring her, Maleficent leveled her gaze with Stefan's, causing the king to fidget nervously before finally cracking.

"Maleficent, don't do this," King Stefan began, unsettled by the swirling emotions in Maleficent's emerald orbs.

"My gift, young one," Maleficent continued, as if the king never spoke, "is the gift of magic. You shall gain powers beyond that which any mortal has seen, in this time or the next. As you grow, so shall your powers, and as your powers grow, so shall the hate of those who once believed they loved you!"

"Maleficent! Please, don't do this. I'm begging you," King Stefan tried again, more terrified of the thought of hating his daughter than of the woman before him.

Eying the man before her, Maleficent finally allowed the corner of her crimson lips to quirk in mirth. "I like you begging. Do it again."

Hesitating, Stefan eventually swallowed his pride and knelt before the thrones, the witch, and his people. "I beg you," Stefan whispered.

Debating for a moment longer, Maleficent finally relents.

"Very well. Her powers will grow, but not the peoples' hate. However, be warned, least she fails to tame her powers will the fair princess meet her demise." With the final decree, an electric green light enveloped the princess, who had fallen asleep despite the turmoil about her.

"As promised, a gift has been given," Maleficent grinned before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.

Silence stretched across the grand hall before jittered whispering began to pop up amongst the masses as the shock began to wane.

Rising from his knees, the king scooped his daughter up in his arms and disappeared out a side exit, his wife, guards, and the three good fairies close behind.

"Tell the guests to enjoy the remainder of the evening. My wife and I shall retire to our chambers," Stefan finally grunted the order.

Stopping to bow respectfully to the monarchs, one of the guards disappeared down a side passageway to relay the news to the quests while the rest of the party continued on in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sire! Do you realize what could have happened if Maleficent had been of mind or of evil intent?" Flora exploded as the chamber doors clicked shut behind them.

"She could have cursed the little princess!" Merryweather agreed, for once, with her sister.

"Did you know?" Fauna asked in concern as the king failed to react to their outburst.

At Fauna's question, all eyes focused upon the king.

Ignoring the accusations, the silent and verbalized questions, and his wife's quiet sobs, Stefan set his little girl gently down in the crib near the window. Gripping the edge of the crib, Stefan sighed in frustration as the fairies turned their questions on his wife, causing the wood to groan beneath his massive paws. "It is of no concern of you," Stefan finally gritted out between his clenched teeth.

"Your majesty, why would Maleficent, of all creatures, visit her highness?" Fauna asked again, this time a bit more cautiously than last.

Spinning about, Stefan ran his hand through his dark locks. "It is none of your concern! I knew very well the risks I took when I agreed to Maleficent's terms-" the king began, only to be interrupted by the fairies once more.

"Terms?!" Flora exclaimed.

"Why that no good-" Merryweather fumed.

"But, why?" Fauna questioned, trying to remain calm as her sisters exclaimed at the audacity of such a treaty.

"-witch. Who does she think-" Merryweather continued, only to be silenced by her sisters.

"The terms and our arrangements with Maleficent are of no concern of yours," the king repeated. Crossing his arms in growing agitation, Stefan relaxed minutely as his wife rested her hands upon his shoulders from behind.

"Because, we needed her," the queen replied, her cheeks stained by the few tears that she had missed.

"Needed?" Flora repeated, perplexed by the remark. Who could possibly need an evil fairy?

Sighing, the king moved to envelop his wife in his strong arms as he debated on revealing the truth to his fairy counsel. His father had trusted the three good fairies, and his father before him. It was his turn to place his confidence in the three good fairies as well.

"We were unable to conceive so we went to Maleficent in the hopes that she could help us bear fruit to my wife's barren womb. All she requested in turn was an invitation to her announcement. We did not suspect she was serious about the invitation, let alone that she would try to bestow a gift upon our daughter."

"Why would Maleficent want that?"

"Why would she give the gift of magic?"

The two eldest fairies wondered out loud.

In turn, Merryweather murmured quietly to herself, regretting her gift of choice. _If only I had waited just a bit longer._ Perhaps if she had waited, she could have removed or at least dampened the extent of Maleficent's _blessing_.

"Is magic really that bad?" the queen inquired, surprised at the venom in the small counsel. She had seen the good fairies in action and did not fully grasp the issue at hand, especially after Maleficent had given their daughter what appeared to be a powerful gift.

"Magic is not necessarily good nor evil, when it comes to humans that is," Flora explained as she patted the queen's hand in hers. "In fairies you are either blessed to be a good fairy, like us," Flora waved at herself and her sisters, "or cursed to be an evil fairy like Maleficent. As far as humans go, it is rare when a human has the gift of magic, especially to the extent Maleficent intends for the little princess."

"What does that mean?" the king demanded, his anxiety growing along with his wife's.

"Well, we can only presume. Based off Maleficent's initial blessing: 'and as your powers grow, so shall the hate of those who once believed they loved you,' shows that Maleficent had intended Aurora's powers for evil rather than good," Fauna supplied.

"But she changed it," Queen Leah reminded the sisters.

"She did leave that nasty bit of a warning," Merryweather countered in a huff.

"Can you reverse it?" the king asked.

"I'm afraid not, sire," Fauna apologized.

"Maleficent's powers are far too great," Flora admitted.

"What shall we do?" Leah pleaded.

"We shall do nothing," King Stefan quickly declared. "Aurora will grow up just fine, in the arms of a loving family and a protective and supportive country. The gifts have been bestowed and unless you can do something to change things, then we must simply be grateful that our daughter was not cursed with the kiss of death." Tired and wanting nothing more than to be with his family, Stefan dismissed the fairies without another thought. "Be gone."

As the door closed, the king and queen moved to stand on the balcony outside of their chamber. Although laughter and cheer filled the night air as fireworks lit the night sky, the parents felt nothing but sadness as they held each other close for warmth and comfort.

"It was supposed to be a joyous day, one of celebration, not one full of dread over the safety of our daughter," the king whispered broken-heartedly.

"Do not worry, my good husband," Queen Leah consoled. "We shall figure out something to protect our little girl."

With a heavy heart, Stefan nodded but did not reply.

* * *

"Silly fiddle faddle!" Flora exclaimed, watching the crowd below as they danced about a large bonfire in the courtyard.

On any other occasion, the good fairies would have joined in on the celebrations. However, dismissed by the monarchs and too discouraged to participate in the merriment, Flora and her sisters had retreated to a little corner in the castle. They needed to figure out what Maleficent's true intentions were.

"Come have a nice cup of tea, dear," Fauna offered her older sister, hoping to distract her from the commotion outside.

Conjuring up a pot of freshly brewed tea and three mugs with matching little saucers, Fauna poured a generous amount into each cup before handing them over. "I'm sure it'll work out somehow."

"Well, a bonfire won't help us resolve what Maleficent did," Merryweather muttered unhappily as she accepted her cup.

"Of course not. But what will?" Flora pondered.

Taking her cup, Flora raised it to her lips, but stopped short at Fauna's next suggestion.

"Well, perhaps if we ask her-" Fauna began, only to be cut off as Flora turned about in shock.

"Ask?" Flora repeated.

"Maleficent?" Merryweather chimed in a hair later.

Shrinking from the onslaught of both sisters coming at her from either side, Fauna tried to defend her original thought as Flora turned away once more. "Well, she can't be all bad-"

About to finally take a sip of her tea, Flora spun back around to face her sister. "Oh, yes, she can," the grey-haired fairy warned before taking a sip at her tea in an attempt to calm herself.

"I'd like to turn her into a fat ole hoptoad!" Merryweather exclaimed, having grown agitated at the mere thought of the evil fairy. Stuffing the crumpet into her mouth, Merryweather glared at her sister as Fauna turned around to lecture her about her manners.

"Now, dear, that isn't a very nice thing to say," Fauna frowned before whisking the tea pot away.

"Besides, we can't," Flora regretfully pointed out. "You know our magic doesn't work that way."

"It can only do good, dear, to bring joy and happiness," Fauna finished as Flora wandered off, lost in thought.

"Well, that would make me happy," Merryweather huffed as she conjured another crumpet. She could use her magic to make herself happy by making Maleficent miserable. Surely there was a way to do that.

Moving further away from her sisters, Flora began to pace across the floor as she muttered quietly to herself, trying to figure out a way to resolve the situation. It wasn't until Fauna's words processed in her mind that she spun around in excitement. "There is!"

"There is?" Merryweather repeated, baffled by her sister's sudden outburst.

"What is it, Flora?" Fauna inquired.

"What you said!" Flora exclaimed. In her excitement, she was unable to reiterate the exact phrasing.

"Being happy?" Merryweather tried.

"Yes! No! Not that, but yes!"

"Yes? No? Which is it," Merryweather huffed. She hated it when her oldest sister spoke in riddles, as if they were magical creatures that could read minds.

"We're going to…shh, shh, shh! Even walls have ears," Flora began before quickly clamping her hands over her sisters' mouths to keep them from speaking anymore. Sneaking about, Flora quickly scanned the room for any prying eyes before spinning back around. "Follow me!" she whispered before disappearing.

Watching as Flora minimized herself and flies off to hide in a locked box on a nearby table, Fauna and Merryweather quickly shrink to catch up with their crazed sister.

Nearly dancing in excitement over her plan, Flora restrained herself long enough to put a silencing spell upon the box before sharing her grand idea.

"We will teach her!"

"Maleficent?" Merryweather asked in confusion. How could teaching Maleficent help fix the problem at hand?

"Oh no, dear, the princess!" Flora giggled at the silliness of such idea.

"Teach her what?" Fauna inquired.

"To use magic!" Flora explained, the plan already forming in her mind. They would teach the little babe to use her magic only for good – for love, kindness, and the joy of helping others.

"But, the king said we weren't going to do anything," Merryweather pointed out.

"Don't you see, if we don't teach her then Maleficent's warning will come true!"

"That's right," Fauna sighed sadly.

"She'll be perfectly safe," Flora assured her sisters as they continued to look on with doubt.

"Until the other fairies find out," Merryweather pointed out once again, the corners of her mouth turning sour.

"Yes, the… oh dear!" Flora's excitement quickly vanished at her sister's reminder.

"The rule," Fauna added in realization.

"You're right," Flora agreed, forgetting about one of the main fairy rules – not to teach magic to outsiders. Any who exposes the fairy ways and teachings to the humans will be punished and banned from the fairy realm. "And she'll be expecting us to do something like that," Flora sighed, moving away from her sisters.

"But, what can we do? Aurora needs our help," Merryweather countered. Stomping her foot, Merryweather plopped herself down on one of the many trinkets inside the locked box. Rules be damned, the princess needed them.

As Merryweather's thoughts wandered, so did Flora's. In a matter of moments, she grew giddy once more. "That's it, of course!" Flora cried out in delight. "It's the only thing she won't expect," Flora stated, moving back to her sisters.

And just as quick, Flora began to pace once more as she began to mutter broken bits of her idea out loud to herself. "Oh, oh, now, now… We have to plan it carefully let's see, woodcutter's cottage, yes, yes, the abandoned one, of course the King and Queen will object, but we have no choice, it's the only way…"

Watching their sister, Fauna and Merryweather began to follow Flora, literally, in her pacing. It wasn't until the ramblings began to become more confusing that Merryweather finally cut in.

"What's the only way?"

"The only way to train Aurora without breaking the rules is to train her in secrecy!" Flora whispered in excitement, once bringing her sisters closer.

"Who is going to train her?" Merryweather, growing skeptical about her sister's ramblings.

"Why, us!" Flora nearly shouted in glee.

"Us!-"

"Uh-huh!"

"You mean, we, us?" Merryweather wiggled her nose in distaste at such thoughts.

"Uh-huh!"

"-Take care of the baby?" Fauna questioned in growing excitement.

"Why not?" Flora grinned.

"Oh! I'd like that!" Fauna quickly agreed to her sister's plan.

"Well, yes, yes. But, will we have to feed it?" Merryweather mused, liking the idea less and less. She didn't want to babysit a spoiled princess for the next handful of years.

"And wash it, and dress it, and rock it to sleep," Fauna happily sighed. "Oh, I'd love it!"

"You really think we can?" Merryweather questioned, her doubt growing on par with Fauna's excitement.

"If humans can do it, then so can we," Flora declared.

"And we have our magic to help us," Merryweather reasoned.

"That's right," Fauna agreed.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no magic!" Flora hastily realized.

"No magic?!" Merryweather and Fauna exclaimed.

"You mean, live like mortals? For who knows how many years? Now, we don't know how. We've never done anything without magic," Merryweather pointed out in distaste, the idea growing worse and worse by the minute.

"How are we to teach Aurora magic without using magic?" Fauna wondered.

"And who'll wash and cook?" Merryweather added.

"I'm sure we will think of something. How hard can it be?" Flora reassured her sisters. "We don't want to go attracting too much attention," Flora finally pointed out.

"Attention? From what?" Merryweather pressed.

"From whom, you mean; the king," Flora finally admitted.

"Why can't we attract the king?" Fauna inquired.

"Because we will have to take the little princess tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Why tonight?"

"We don't know when her powers will start to form," Flora explained. "It is best to get her somewhere safe and secure, and we heard the king-"

"He doesn't want Aurora away from the family-"

"Or Aurora being treated differently-"

"-and so we won't be able to help her-"

"-without getting into trouble."

The three sisters concluded in broken speech as they all came to the same realization.

"Oh, dear," Fauna sighed.

"Tonight?" Merryweather repeated, not liking the idea at all.

"Tonight," Flora confirmed, her joy in coming up with a plan diminished by the thoughts of what they now must do.

If they tried to talk to the king about their plans, then they would surely be banned from being near the princess, or worse. Granted, they could give the parents a few years to spend with the child until the powers begin to show, but none of the sisters knew when that would be, for a human's magic often differed from a fairy's. With that though in mind, the three good fairies snuck off to the nursery to smuggle the magical babe off into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

As the sun rose, the monarchs awoke to discover that their daughter had vanished into the night. Enraged, King Stefan ordered his men to seize every person in the kingdom – young, old, infirmed, healthy, and otherwise. Over the course of the next few weeks, he spent every waking hour interrogating the suspects that were brought in. Continuing to come up empty handed, Stefan grew desperate and expanded his search into the neighboring kingdoms.

Eventually Stefan realized that this dastardly deed could only be the work of Maleficent. Infuriated by the thought, Stefan ordered his soldiers to ride far and wide to hunt down any magical creature they came across. He wanted answers and if no one would come forward willingly, then he would get them through force.

Scared for their safety, those that were hunted hid from the humans; disappearing from sight, and hopefully, the mind of the deranged king. It was not long before word reached Maleficent. At first she was tickled pink at the notion that her 'blessing' had wrecked so much havoc on the realm, but in quick time her humor dissipated. Not only did a horde of good fairies come thundering at her door, demanding her to return the babe, but so did the king's men. Furious at the gal of both fae and mortals, Maleficent used her magic to create a fortress of trees laced with thorns, impenetrable to men, while a magical storm brewed above to chase away the fairies.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Diaval eventually inquired. Lingering in the shadows, the man watched as Maleficent stared through the sleet at the men trying to light her barrier below.

"And ruin the fun?" Maleficent countered. "No, let him squirm. Now, off with you. Go, and do not fail me."

Nodding his head in consent, Diaval turned into a raven and departed.

Left alone with her thoughts, Maleficent glanced back down at the men.

Years ago, she had been trusting of mankind. Innocent and curious, Maleficent had ignored the other fae as they warned her that humans were the root of all evil and befriended one man in particular. In due time the warnings came true; her trust and heart were quickly shattered. The years came and passed since then. Over time, Maleficent bared witness of the man, who had been the source of her pain, as he grew in happiness. First obtaining a wife, and then a throne, the only thing left that the king desired was an heir of his own.

One day Maleficent was approached by the king. His wife was unable to bare the fruit of his loins, and thus the king beseeched Maleficent to bless his wife's barren womb. At first, Maleficent was furious by the audacity of the king. But then, an idea formed in the back of her mind. She would bestow upon the king the one thing that his heart truly desired, only for it to be destroyed, just like her heart had been. That was why she accepted the invitation to the grand celebration – to look upon the king's face as she ripped away his source of joy and happiness.

Originally, Maleficent had expected her gift for Aurora to wreak havoc on the happy couple's lives. She had planned for the king to enjoy a blissful sixteen or so years as he watched his darling princess blossom into a beautiful young maiden. In the end, however, the king would suffer a slow and painful heart ache as his precious heir become consumed by the powers within her. Unable to guide and protect young Aurora, Maleficent knew that Stefan's heart would shatter, just like hers had.

No, Maleficent would not inform Stefan that she does not have his child. To do so would ruin her plans. She would find the child and perhaps use her to hurt Stefan in other means. Perhaps, she would take her under her wing and teach Aurora to wield her powers, turning her against Stefan in that form. Or perhaps she would dangle Aurora in front of Stefan to see how many times she could get him to bite, only to rip her away once more. Perhaps she would simply return the babe and let the mortals deal with the magical princess, especially since mortals and those with magical abilities have clashed for centuries.

_Enough. I can imagine all I want_, Maleficent mused, her crimson lips pursing in dissatisfaction, _but that is all it shall ever amount to if I do not find the girl._

When word had first reached her of the missing princess, Maleficent had been furious. Scared shitless as raw power burst forth from Maleficent, her servants and slaves instantly hid as the night sky lit up in an electric green hue. It had taken multiple minutes for the more brave, and brainless, of the lot to step forth at her beckon. Trembling as they coward at her feet, Maleficent sent forth the demonic servants to fetch her the missing princess.

However, as days turned to weeks and there still was no sign of the babe, Maleficent's temper rapidly waned. Impatient, Maleficent summoned the demons back to the forbidden mountains for an updated report. The results were not what Maleficent desired to hear and the pure imbecilic nature of the conversation was still fresh in her mind from moments before.

_"__It's incredible, five weeks and not a trace of her! She couldn't have vanished into thin air. Are you sure you searched everywhere?" Maleficent demanded from her servants once they had assembled._

_"__Yeah, yeah. Everywhere, we all-" one demon began._

_"__Yeah, yeah," others chimed in._

_"__But what about the towns, the forest, the mountains?" Maleficent pushed, refraining herself from pacing as she became quickly agitated. _

_"__We searched mountains, forests, and houses," the initial demon replied. "And, let me see… in all the castles!"_

_"__Castle?" Maleficent repeated, her green hues narrowing dangerously at the speaker._

_"__Yeah, yeah. Every castle!" the demon beamed a toothy grin. It wasn't his fault that his little brain was unable to decipher the fact that his minute brain capacity was unable to process the fact that Maleficent's shoulders were shaking from frustration, not mirth. Unfortunately, it was his fault when he did not move out of the way fast enough as a bolt of green magic enveloped his hide, and before his brethren were aware of it, only a black mark on the ground remained. _

_"__Castle!" Maleficent fumed. "Did you hear that, Diaval? All this time and they've been looking in the castles!" This time, Maleficent did laugh, which caused the rest of the servants to chuckle uncomfortably._

_"__Fools! Idiots! Imbeciles!" Maleficent shouted, her voice magnified thrice fold by the magic. Afraid of being targeted as well, the patrol scampered out of the grand chamber – whether through doors, windows, or over the broken walls, they didn't care as long as they could get away._

_"__Oh, they're hopeless. A disgrace to the forces of evil," Maleficent fumed while walking out onto the balcony to look at the grounds below. There she stood witness to the king's men as they tried once again to break into her castle for answers that were not there._

_Unfortunately, neither magic nor nature had deterred the king from breeching the forbidden mountains in search for his daughter. Instead, the king continued his attempts, plan after plan, which left Maleficent unable to leave her domain without giving up ground. Turning to Diaval, Maleficent beckoned the raven closer._

_"__Diaval, you are my last hope. Circle far and wide, search for a child with hair of sunshine gold and lips as red as the rose."_

_Instead of leaving, the raven had had the gall to speak logic rather than riddles, presenting a solution so simple. _

_The only reason the raven was still alive was because, unlike the other servants, Diaval had the brains to know when his welcome had run short._

In a way, Maleficent wished that she had not needed to send her most trusted servant out to unravel the truth, but his mission was vital.

And now, it was her turn to play her part.

Glancing away from the men below, Maleficent wrapped her cloak around herself and in a flash of green disappeared, only to reappear above the brambles and thorns that barred the way to the forbidden mountains.

Startled, the guards turned to run, only to be held in place by the general.

"Guards, hold! Guards, hold!" The general shouted time and time again until getting his men under control.

"Go no further!" Maleficent boomed, amplifying her voice to carry to even the furthest soldier.

"We do not take orders from the evils like thee" the general replied in false bravado.

"Then you shall die," Maleficent declared.

"Battalion!" the general shouted, causing the soldiers to draw their swords with quaking limbs. "Attack!"

Unable to do much else, the men charged towards Maleficent. Those that had wanted out of such a foolish command had been warned that if they tried to run, they would be cut down by their own comrades. Perhaps if they simply moved forward with the masses, they could rush past and hide in the brambles before trying to escape. Unfortunately, that train of thought quickly came to a halt as Maleficent spoke for a third time.

"Arise and stand with me!" Alight in electric green, Maleficent's powers spread to encase the barrier that she had initially created.

As the ground began to shake, the soldiers stopped their advancement and scuttled back, much to the general's disgrace.

"Hold the line!" the general ordered. However, even his own nerve began to crumble as giant beasts made of wood and leaves sprouted forth from the soil.

"It's the dark creatures!"

Quickly, the soldiers broke free of formation as every man turned to fend for themselves. As more creatures appeared, it was not long before the army retreated towards the woods and away from the forbidden mountains.

Still unsatisfied with the insolence of mankind, Maleficent ordered the magical creatures to pursue the soldiers, insuring that not even a single soldier decided to return due to a random hair of heroism.

In the meanwhile, the three good fairies began their task.

* * *

Arriving at their destination, Flora tugged gently at the reins to bring the rickety, wooden cart to a halt. Dismounting, the three peasant women finally got their first glimpse of their new home.

"Oh, no! Is this it?" Flora cried in dismay. She didn't want to keep traveling, her bones were still rattling from the rocky terrain they had traveled across.

Forgoing the option to fly to in an effort to avoid attracting the attention of other fairies, the three women had quickly acquired a cart and horse to transport them to the cottage. Unfortunately, during their trip, the fairies had encountered angry soldiers and scared pedestrians by the masses. The word of the stolen princess had spread more rapidly than they had anticipated.

In a continued effort to blend in further, the sisters disguised themselves as three peasant women and forged their way deeper into the forest instead of taking the more popular paved roads. Unfortunately, this proved to be difficult as well as they continued to encounter others of similar mindset and more soldiers, who, upon a slight of eavesdropping, were on their way to the forbidden mountains. As a result, it took nearly two months to reach their destination. Having an outdated, tattered, map didn't help their cause, either.

"It looks dreadful," Merryweather grumbled, bringing Flora back to the present.

As the smallest and youngest of the lot, Merryweather had to travel in the back with the babe and the junk that they assumed would be vital for the survival while living as humans. Because of this, she had the most kinks of the party.

"Well, it has it's…charm," Fauna attempted as she wearily eyed the brash and rustic woodcutter's cottage before them. Maybe with a bit of magic the place could look rather cozy. Okay, with a lot of magic.

Withholding a sigh, Flora beckoned her sisters on. "Come on, and bring something with you."

Grabbing the cargo from the cart, the Merryweather and Flora grunt under the weight of a particularly heavy chest.

"Oh, we need smaller-" Fauna began as her and Merryweather stumbled and almost dropped the chest. "-Ohh! Stuff."

"No, what we need is magic," Merryweather grunted as she adjusted her hold to accommodate for her sister's slip.

"But, we can't," Flora reminded her sisters as she bustled by with a lighter basket full of linen.

"It would be easier if we could fly," Fauna agreed with Merryweather as they made it through the doorway.

"No more flying," Flora objected, having followed her sisters into the room. "No more flying and no more magic."

"But we're in the middle of nowhere! Surely a bit won't hurt," Merryweather complained as she stretched out her lumbar. "Just to move the stuff inside?"

"And to fix up the place?" Fauna quickly added.

"No, and that's-" Flora began only to be silenced as a crack of lightening lit up the sky, quickly followed by the roll of thunder. "Oh, dear. Very well, but no more after this!"

In their excitement, the three women forget about Aurora as they quickly shuffled about to set the cottage straight. By the time the first drops of rain began to fall, the three women had managed to organize the furniture, add a fresh coat of paint to the shutters, hang the curtains, and even start a fire.

"Tea?" Fauna offered as the three women settled beside the source of warmth with a content sigh.

"Oh, yes!" Merryweather chirped. Tea and crumpets sounded absolutely delightful after working so hard.

"We should probably get Aurora sett- No more magic!" Flora scolded her sisters as she straightened out a blanket over her chair.

"Where is she?" Merryweather inquired, hiding the crumpet that had just appeared in her hand.

"Why, she's right over-" Blinking, Flora glanced around. "Oh, my. Where is the babe?"

Realizing that no one knew where the princess was, they all rushed about in search for their charge – Merryweather upstairs, Flora downstairs, and Fauna outside.

Opening the door, Fauna peaked around. Spotting the basket that had previously held the princess, the fairy darted from the protective awning, her cloak held high over her head. Rushing over, Fauna startled the raven from the handle before peaking in, only to sigh in relief.

"There you are! Why are you always hiding?" Fauna inquired as she hefted the baby from the wet blankets. "Come on. There you go," Fauna whispered as she wrapped Aurora in her cloak and scampered back inside.


End file.
